I Walk Alone
by AppleDanish
Summary: A songfic based on Pearl84's story 'Checkmate'. Danny's making some choices, and one of them has almost cost his life, but caused a deep trust with his arch enemy. Song: Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day. Read and Review, please!


I Walk Alone

**I Walk Alone**

**By DannyTimmygirl327**

**Summary: Based on Pearl84's story: 'Checkmate'. I'm writing songfics that involve background scenes in the story. This is based on the one of my favorite songs: 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' by Green Day. Read and Review!**

_I walk a lonely road,_

_The only one that I have ever known._

_Don't know where it goes,_

_But it's home to me and I walk alone._

Danny walked along the dark, burden of the backyard, his head hanging low and his eyes filled with sorrow. His jet black hair hid away the tears that fell down his cheeks. He stuffed his hands away in his jean pockets, his fingers icy cold from the developing frost gathering in the air.

"_What did I ever do to deserve this?" _He constantly asked himself, over and over again. His mind was a shallow pool, waiting to be filled with endless depths of loving water. His thoughts were empty….

But his heart was, too.

Half the time, Danny wanted to make all the pain go away. His thoughts constantly drifted from running away to hiding and stowing his body and soul from the one man who took him away from the one place he loved.

For the past few days, Danny's outbursts and sudden meltdowns concerned, if sometimes, annoyed Vlad. He figured the older half-ghost was getting what he deserved, but was too afraid to even say anything anymore.

Not only have he deprived Danny of his family, friends, hometown, and even the will to love, but he deprived him the one thing that made Danny himself:

Pride.

Without the ones he loved, he didn't have pride. Well, what had the word even meant anymore? Danny even forgot how to love again. But, of course, he's reminded when he sees the picture of his parents, older sister, and his two best friends what love means.

It simply meant, them.

Danny's thoughts confided him of walking through the trail. He realized he wandered away from Vlad's mansion, feeling the bleak, icy chill of the forest backyard. He relieved himself of the pain he been through the past weeks.

For one, his powers had been going out of control. Every time he'd try to transform into his ghost form, it would feel as though either an icy cold burn or a stabbing pain pulsed through his heart. But, no matter what, Vlad would make him use them.

After his out of control state a few nights ago, Danny was always afraid of going to sleep, even afraid of everything that would shield him from safety.

Danny finally reached a wall of trees, just underneath a canopy overlooking the stars above. Nights like these with millions of stars enclosing the moons inner lining made him remember the nights of stargazing. He, Sam and Tucker would sit on the rooftop of Danny's house and look beyond the stars with his telescope. Nights like this…

Made him want to forget.

He sat down on the soft grass, leaning his back against a tree. He took a deep breath, letting his senses indulge the smell of dew and fresh wood. He closed his eyes, forgetting all his troubles for a moment. He let the scenery dissipate into him being back in his room. He glanced around once more, and rested his face into his arms.

_I walk these empty streets,_

_On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams._

_Where the city sleeps,_

_And I'm the only one and I walk alone._

Danny remembered the last time he cried before the incident with Jazz. He was only five years old, swinging on the local park swings with his sister pushing him and his mother watching from a nearby bench. He was swinging higher than he could ever imagine, high as an astronaut in space. His smile was broad and delighted squeals and giggles escaped his vocal chords as his sister continued to push him.

Suddenly, he was rising from the swing, being lifted higher into the air. He thought he was flying for a moment, until gravity took affect. He fell full-speed towards the ground, screaming for someone to save him.

Finally, he felt the impact.

Danny began to cry, his cheeks soar and his little legs weak and tired. Blood fell from the scars and bruises on his knees, legs, arms, and face. He cried a sorrow sob, his mother holding him in her arms and rocking him gently to sleep…

He finally snapped from the memory, realizing himself back into the forest. _"Why do I even bother?" _He thought to himself, brushing away the tears from his eyes. He stood up and walked back towards the house.

_My shadow's only one that walks beside me,_

_My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating._

_Sometimes, I wish someone up there would find me,_

'_Till then, I walk alone._

The only sound that was heard was the hollow whisper of the midnight sky. His footsteps barely registered a sound from where he was walking.

Suddenly, he heard something nearby. It sounded like a beating, almost like a drum. The noise grew louder and louder, forcing Danny to frantically search his area of the noise that was torturing his very essence. The beating grew and grew, almost extending to burst his eardrums and tear at his very mind…..

And then, it stopped.

Danny sighed, trying to calm his breathing. He slowly placed his hand over his chest, only realizing one thing:

The beating of his heart.

He walked over to the back edge of the poolside area. He could feel the water's chilled particles upon his skin as a sudden urge overcame him.

He kneeled over to the ledge of the pool and dipped his hand in the water. Then, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and dived into the water, automatically activating his ice powers to make the water unbearable to even touch human flesh.

Danny slowly swam through the shallow end, carefully encountering the deep end of the pool. His fighting temptation to open his mouth and retrieve all the water into his lungs was too much.

So, he did.

_I'm walking down the line,_

_That divides me somewhere in my mind,_

_On the border line,_

_Of the edge of where I walk alone._

He could feel the oxygen being ripped from his body into the watered depths. Large bubbles formed, every gulping breath seemingly his last.

But, Danny wanted to end the suffering he endeared with Vlad, every painfully delightful and comforting memory with the ones he loved….

He wanted to leave it all, then, so…..

Why wasn't he feeling the same way, now?

Before Danny could really reconsider what he was doing, he felt himself slowly fade away, his body and mind sinking even further into the water.

Part of his mind wanted to do it, but the other half forced him to hold strong…..

He listened to his other half.

Danny saw his skin turn a deathly pale color. His eyes slowly fell into deep closure. He knew at that moment he was going to die and that this is what Vlad deserved; to lose the one person who understood him the most…

But Danny didn't deserve any of this.

He didn't even deserve a portion of it and neither did his family and friends….

Neither did Vlad.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

A few minutes later, Vlad strode down the hall towards Danny's room, just to make sure he was alright and accounted for. When he reached his room, he found Danny gone. "Of course," He mumbled, a frown etching his face. He walked further into the room, inspecting it of anything out of the ordinary or out of place.

He approached the window, his Sapphire eyes scanning the backyard for him. "Where are you, Daniel? I know you're too afraid to use your powers again, so you haven't flown off…" Slowly, his eyes fell upon the swimming pool, which was strangely giving off large bubbles and rapid currents. He narrowed his eyes just a little more, spotting something floating, something about the size of Danny, which wasn't even large to begin with.

Vlad's eyes suddenly widened with his approaching assumption. He quickly changed into ghost form and flew through the window. He landed by the poolside and changed back into human form. He ran down the stairs into the pool, seeing the one thing he feared the most:

Danny was lying unconscious in the pool.

Much to his surprise, the water was icy cold, which made the rescue even more difficult. Vlad quickly swam towards him, replaying the same phrase over and over again in his mind: _Please don't let Daniel die on me._

He scooped Danny from the pool and carried him in his arms, racing to save the younger half-ghost. He carefully laid Danny on the couch and ran to retrieve some dry towels and blankets. He quickly had George stir up a hot pot of tea.

_Read between the lines,_

_What's messed up and everything's alright._

_Check my vital signs_

_To know I'm still alive and I walk alone._

Vlad reached over to Danny, closely inspecting him for any serious injuries. Then, he did what he feared would be the worst injury of them all. He placed his hand on his chest to feel for a heartbeat.

There was hollow movement within him.

"_Thank goodness I took those medical procedure classes in high school," _Vlad thought to himself. He carefully, but firmly pressed down on Danny's chest, trying to revive him. When nothing happened, he pushed even harder, his eyes brimming with tears as though all hope was lost.

"C'mon, Daniel, don't give up on me just yet," He whispered, pushing harder than he ever could. If Danny ever came to, he'd probably have a few broken ribs, what with Vlad trying desperately to save his life and all.

Suddenly, Danny's eyes began to twitch. He shot up, harshly coughing up all the water out of his system. He held his stomach tightly as he continued to cough and choke at the same time.

He felt someone patting his back. When he forced himself to look up, he didn't even care that it was Vlad doing so. All he was focused on was breathing.

After calming down and letting his body regain it's heat, Danny sat quietly on the other side of the room, right across from Vlad, who was watching him carefully.

"Do you have to do that?" Danny asked, irritated from the man's stares. "It's for your own good, Daniel. You almost died tonight! The least you could do is thank me!" Vlad replied, obviously irritated as well from this sudden notion.

"Why should I? You drove me to the brink of insanity! You purposely took me away from my family and friends and the town I grew up in and….." Before he could finish, Danny buried his face in the blankets and towels knotted around him.

"Daniel? Are you alright?" Vlad asked, now concerned. Danny looked up once again, his cheeks flushed and streaked with tears. He tried to stand up and retrieve from the room, but instead fell to the floor.

"Danny!"

And for the first time, he called him by his real name.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Daniel? Can you here me?"

Danny slowly woke up to a voice that was unfamiliarly sweet and soft. He was about to ask if it were a trick of some kind, but he was too weak to even speak. He glanced up, only to see Vlad overlooking him. Of course, he found it hard to believe that it was his voice that cautiously spoke to him.

"What did you do?" Vlad suddenly asked. Danny looked up at him, his eyes confused for a second. "Darn it, boy! How'd you drown yourself? I thought you could swim!" He shouted, his voice masking his true concern for him.

"I-I jumped it….. and-d then I-I…. slowly let my b-b-reathing go and the-n… I was dying but….you-u.. and then… th-e…. wat-t-er…." He strangled to speak, but the words barely registered. He broke out into a coughing fit once more, water spurting from his mouth onto the bed sheets. He crawled even further in the blankets, protecting his body from anymore chill.

"Danny, calm down. Now, I'm going to have you drink some tea, okay? I won't let you fall asleep because after you near-drowning experience, it'd be highly dangerous," Vlad explained, leaving for the kitchen.

When he reached the kitchen, George was already finished with the tea. "Sir, you didn't want me to apply any supplement to his tea tonight, did you?" He asked. Vlad shook his head. "No, not tonight. I'll let him settle down and regain his strength." He took the teacup and filled it to the brim. He thanked George and flew intangibly to Danny's room once again.

He opened the door, finding Danny cuddled under the blankets again. He walked towards him and gave him the tea. Without a second thought, Danny grabbed for the drink and gulped it down in a matter of seconds. Then, he held out the cup for more. Surprised by his actions, Vlad willingly poured him more until about half the pot was empty.

"Feeling better?" Vlad asked. Danny nodded, smiling for the first time he came there. "Even though you kept me from seeing the only people that mean the world to me…" Vlad winced at the comment. "Thanks for saving me."

_My shadow's only one that walks beside me,_

_My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating._

_Somewhere I wish someone out there would find me,_

'_Till then, I walk alone._

That night, Danny was finally told that he could go to sleep. His eyes drifted into slumber, dreaming anything that came to his mind. But the dream he saw became a nightmare.

He tossed and turned, mumbling over and over again in his sleep.

"I'm not you… go away…"

_But Danny, I'm no mere illusion. I am you. And you will become me……_

"Stop, please! I didn't mean to…."

_It's too late for that, Danny. You left them to die and now…… it's my chance to strike!_

"If you lay one hand on them, I swear I'll-"

_You'll what? You're so weak and pathetic that you let Vlad control you; you let him ruin your life. If you really cared about your precious family and friends, you'd go back right now…_

"I had no choice… I-"

_You had every choice in the world, Danny!_

"Jazz? Is that you….?"

_Yes, it's me. You didn't have to leave, Danny, we love you._

"But you would have died…."

_No, I'll die without you, Danny……_

"What? Wait!"

_Danny? Why? You promised!_

"Sam… I'm sorry, I just couldn't-"

_Couldn't what, Danny? Stand to see my heart break? Well, you left and that's what you did. You destroyed a part of me, Danny. You killed the part that still loves you more than you'll ever know……_

"No! I can fix this, I can make it all better!"

_We accept you, Danny……_

_We love you and we always will……_

_You'll always be my baby boy, Danny. _

_Trust me: never forget who you are, Danny……_

Danny's eyes shot open as he let out a piercing scream. He sobbed and stabbed at his blankets, kicking and struggling to be free of the voices he heard….

Freeing their voices.

"I want my mom! I want her here with me! I wanna go home!" He cried, screaming like a little kid who was having a nightmare.

"Daniel! Calm down!" Vlad called out from the hallway. He rushed into his room, seeing Danny on the floor, bawling his eyes out. He leaned over and pulled him into his embrace.

"Make it stop…. Please make it stop….." Danny whimpered. "It's alright…. Just… stop crying….." He comforted. It had been years since he calmed a child, but right now, Danny was the closest thing to a child.

_I walk these empty streets,_

_On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams._

_Where the city sleeps,_

_And I'm the only one and I walk a-_

_My shadow's only one that walks beside me,_

_My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating._

_Sometimes, I wish someone out there would find me,_

'_Till then I walk alone……_

"Can you take me home…. Please?" Danny pleaded, his baby blue eyes filled with anguish and sorrow. Vlad sighed. "No, Daniel, you promised yourself to me…. So you keep it that way,"

Danny thought for a moment. "Well, can I have one thing?"

Vlad raised an eyebrow, curious at the suggestion. "What?" He asked, unsure.

"Call me….. Danny. It's what my mom calls me."

"Sure….. Danny."

**(A/N: Okay, it didn't really come out the way I wanted it to, but here you go! This would be better understood if you read Pearl84's story: 'Checkmate'. But, anyway, I really hoped you enjoyed the story! There's more songfics ahead! Read and review- positive reviews, only! Thanks!)**


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